Consequences
by peroxidepest17
Summary: Crossover with XXXHolic Byakuya goes back for help a second time.


**Title:** Consequences  
**Universe:** Bleach/ XXXHolic  
**Theme/Topic:** Bad habits and/or obsessions  
**Rating:** PG**  
Character/Pairing/s:** Yuuko, Byakuya (with cameos by Watanuki, Maru and Moro. Also, mention of Rukia and Renji.)  
**Warnings/Spoilers:** Spoilers for Byakuya's past and through Chapter 248 of Bleach. OOC and stupidity.  
**Word Count:** 1,318  
**Time: ** 1.23  
**Summary:** (Bleach/XXXHolic crossover)- Byakuya goes back for help a second time.  
**Dedication: **requested by westside. **  
A/N:** Haha I am sure this is so unoriginal as to have been done six billion times before. dies But really. Byakuya just kind of lends himself to this, don't you think? XD;; Also, I don't remember (if there were any, anyway) the details of what it takes to open a gateway to the human world, so I kinda just made them up. LOL  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, though I wish constantly.  
**Distribution:** Just lemme know.

* * *

He walked into the store that sold dreams for a price for the second time in a century and found that it felt equally as discomfiting now as it had then, even if his desperation was less now, even if he knew what to expect- sort of. 

"Welcome back, Kuchiki prince," an all too familiar voice greeted him, fragrant smoke swirling elegantly around his spiritual body like a guide, urging him into the back room, through the closed doors.

"Welcome back!" the twin voices echoed, and sounded hardly changed over the span of time he'd been away. Though time might pass differently beyond these doors, he could never be sure.

He took a breath to look around, the surprisingly simple home with the feeling of a thousand lifetimes imbedded within.

This was where the dimension witch lived now—different from when he'd seen her before, many years ago. Startlingly the same.

He removed his shoes and donned the slippers waiting at the top step for him—perhaps specifically for him—and leveled his head, strode to the sliding doors without hesitation because hesitation brought doubt and doubt brought weakness. He found her there just as he knew he would, lounging on her chaise, a bottle of sake clutched in one hand. She blew smoke rings from her pipe and they uncurled into long reaching fingers, ghosting the air around him. He might have heard laughter as the tendrils dissipated one by one, dissolving to places unknown.

"I made another promise," he told her without pause.

"Tea? Cake? Sake?" she offered, like she hadn't heard him. "My new assistant makes delicious cakes."

"I'M NOT MAKING CAKE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW I'M STILL WORKING ON THE CALAMARI YOU ASKED FOR!" an adamant voice shouted back from what Byakuya could only assume was the kitchen.

He blinked.

That was certainly different from before.

Yuuko smiled languidly at him, like she'd read his mind. She probably could. "Things change in a hundred years, Kuchiki prince," she told him, and eyed him playfully. "I think you know that now, as often as you pretend not to."

Unmoved by her teasing (save for perhaps a slight twitching of his right eyebrow), he moved to address her again. "I made another promise."

She sighed then, motioned for him to sit. When he didn't, her twin creatures beamed and took either of his arms in one of theirs, pulling him down to a chair that had magically appeared out of nowhere. Or somewhere he just didn't have the eyes to see.

He sat.

"Well then, you should keep that promise," his hostess told him simply, and tapped the edge of her pipe into the ashtray. He was certain he heard giggles, then.

She cocked her head to the side. "I always counted on you noble types to find the loopholes, after all."

"Very deliberately placed, don't you think?" Byakuya asked, and accepted the tea one of the cheerful creatures offered him.

She chuckled, slyly. "I do like the repeat customers, I suppose." Pausing, the witch rested her chin on her fingertips, studying him. "But given the price that I set for you for my services oh those many long years ago, I can't help but wonder…what motivates you to do this now?"

He managed not to physically cringe at the reminder. "Your price for helping me find my sister was to always keep my promises—no matter the cost. I have done as such. The fact that she will never love me was a consequence of my own actions, not a cost of yours."

She shrugged one shoulder, lazily. "If that's how you choose to see it. That still doesn't explain why you agreed."

He looked down into the teacup in his hands, then. "Because she asked," he admitted, reluctantly.

"And so you promised."

A flicker of a smile on his face then. "Yes. And as a consequence of that…"

"You'll need my help."

"Yes."

She laughed then, set her pipe down to pour herself a cup of sake. "I see. Clever of you, Kuchiki prince." She downed her drink slowly, licked her lips when she was done.

Her eyes glowed when she looked at him.

"Very well!" she declared good-naturedly after a moment. "Since it's technically a tack-on to my last stipulation to you, I'll help you. But you can't expect it to be _entirely_ for free."

He'd been afraid of that, but it wasn't wholly unexpected. "Of course."

She stretched, lazily, before standing.

The smell of fried squid wafted in from the kitchen then, accompanied by the sound of hot sizzling. "Would you like to stay for snacks?"

"No," he said.

She shrugged at him. "You're the one missing out."

"No thank you," he insisted.

"Well… alright then. You'll have your gateway open tomorrow morning. No one will know the reiatsu signature of the person who opened it, so you won't have to break your promises as a high and mighty captain of the gotei-13 either, ne?" She smirked. "How convenient for you."

He nodded. "That's all I need." Taking a deep breath, he set his tea down, stood as well. "And your price?"

She winked. "One of the scarves you made. Feel free to bring it to me afterwards."

He stared. "That's it?"

"Kuchiki prince," she purred, "three scarves is a bit too much for a two person trip, don't you think? And I do so like taking things without a purpose and finding them a new one, after all."

His eyes widened at her implications. "You mean…"

On his realization, she leaned down briefly and touched her nose to his. It felt like a victory peck. "Bingo!" she sing-songed, "The price is… no matter what happens--even after they say it's okay--you can't go after them."

She chuckled then, stood up straight again so as to tower above him. "Are you still willing to pay?"

He steeled his jaw. His previous hope had been that upon Renji and Rukia's departure from Soul Society, the commander would issue a retrieval order to fetch them in Hueco Mundo. Then… then he could have joined them under that pretense, been there to watch over her. For once.

"Well?" Yuuko urged, devil that she was. "I ask you now, exactly what I asked you a hundred years ago, Kuchiki prince. Is this worth the price?"

A deep breath. And then, "I made a promise to her."

Yuuko grinned. "That's my boy."

It was, perhaps, a steep price to pay. They both knew however, that even though Kuchiki Rukia would never love Byakuya, the same couldn't be said about how he felt for her.

It was merely a consequence.

Not a cost.

After a long moment, Byakuya nodded. "I'll bring you the scarf tomorrow evening."

He'd made a promise, after all.

On his acceptance, she sighed and stretched--boneless. "See that you do."

He left without another word then, and she watched him go, her eyes twinkling. The smoke in the air laughed with her.

"He's changed," she mused aloud, petting the delicate tendrils with the tips of long fingers and making them squirm and giggle. "But he hasn't changed that much, either."

Sometimes that meant a lot of lost opportunities. Especially when love was involved.

She sighed—wistful. "I wonder if he'll ever learn."

"Learn what?" Watanuki asked, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a hot plate of finished calamari in his hands.

It smelled wonderful.

Yuuko smiled at him. "That sometimes it's cheaper—and much more satisfying—to do things for yourself. Even if it's a little bit selfish. Even if it's harder that way," she responded, and sunk back onto the couch, looking at him expectantly.

He stared at her, still holding that plate of specially requested calamari. "I don't want to hear that sort of talk from _you _of all people, Yuuko-san."

She laughed.

**END**


End file.
